


Atlas Ball/Mantle Battle

by _FairGame_ (CharlieRhees)



Series: Fair Game Week 2020 [6]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fair Game Week (RWBY), Fair Game Week 2020, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:42:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23247223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CharlieRhees/pseuds/_FairGame_
Summary: This one was really rushed at the end cause I had no idea how to finish it so I'm so sorry about that. Plus I have no idea how to summarize this story.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Series: Fair Game Week 2020 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1664695
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	Atlas Ball/Mantle Battle

**Author's Note:**

> [This story will divert from canon so apologies but this idea has been weighing on my mind for forever]

The night was going great, Qrow was surprised that nothing had gone wrong yet, but that in itself could be jinxing things. Qrow was watching himself, watching others, waiting for something to go wrong, anything to go wrong. He knew something was bound to. Nothing stayed happy with him around and he knew it. 

As the night continued it became clear that maybe the universe was finally smiling down on him and he let himself relax slightly. Although half of him would always keep an eye out for anything going wrong, it was in his nature. 

As Clover pulled him ever closer, he could feel himself relax more. Everything around him seemed to wash away as his full attention was placed on the man holding him as if he was the most important person in the room, the most important person in the world. It felt nice, but part of him didn’t feel like it was real, it felt like he was in a dream. He was seeing everything he had wanted come true and there was no way the universe could be this nice to him. 

His worst fears were confirmed when he sat up, looking around the room to find that he was in his bedroom and not in the atlas ballroom. His scroll was ringing on the bedside table and he rubbed a hand down his face before he reached over to pick it up. A small conversation with the general told him that he was needed at Mantle. Some Grimm were at the border and they needed able bodied huntsmen to fight them off before they became a problem to the city. Qrow got ready, grabbing harbinger by the door as he went.

As he made his way to the airship that would take them to Mantle, he met with the ace-ops, more specifically Clover. The smile that Clover sent his way made his heart warm, but he shook his head as he looked away. His dream was just false hope. There was no way that someone like Clover would like him or ask him to a stupid ball. 

They boarded the airship, weapons ready and bodies stiff as they got ready for the fight that was nearing them. Qrow could hear Clover talking to some of the kids and he tried to ignore it, not wanting to focus too much on Clover’s voice when he had to have his mind fully on the task at hand. 

The huntsman and huntresses jumped out of the airship as it arrived at their destination. Qrow could see the grim and his whole body both relaxed and tensed at the same time, huntsman instinct was what people called it. He threw himself into the fight, working alongside Clover to take down some of the grim, trying to focus only on his fight.

“You seem slightly distracted over there, Qrow,” Clover spoke, swinging Kingfisher, not looking over at Qrow as he spoke. Qrow scoffed, seeing the concerned look that Clover threw his way from the corner of his eyes. 

“Focus on fighting, lucky charm,” as the fight neared the end, Qrow collapsed Harbinger and put it away. Clover was a bit away, hand on his earpiece, as he called for a ride back to Atlas. 

He watched from a distance as he watched the kids celebrate their win, not wanting his semblance to ruin their fun if he was too close. He sighed and swore under his breath as he watched Oscar nearly trip and fall. If it hadn’t been for Ruby, he would’ve. He backed away a few steps.

“What’s the sour face for?” he didn’t look behind him, knowing the person who had addressed him had been Clover. 

“No reason,” Qrow answered before he did turn and scowled. “This is also how my face always looks.” 

“Not around me it doesn’t,” Clover shot back and Qrow shook his head, turning away to hide the blush he knew was present on his face. 

“Whatever you say,” a silence fell over them as they waited for the airship to come get them. 

“Qrow-” before Clover could finish his sentence, a large grim made itself known, running towards the kids. Qrow’s body moved before he could stop it, bringing out Harbinger as he ran. 

He sprinted the distance between where he had stood to where the grim was in record time, jumping into the air before sinking Harbingers blade into the grims neck. He was breathing heavily as the grim began to evaporate, blade sticking into the ground at the force he had used to kill the grim. 

“Uncle Qrow!” Ruby ran over to him as he pulled Harbinger out of the ground. 

“That was impressive,” Clover walked over, arms crossed over his chest and a smile on his face. Qrow shrugged as he put Harbinger away. 

“Let’s just keep our eyes open while we wait,” he grumbled as he looked around for more threats. 

It was only a few minutes before the airship arrived to get them back to Atlas, but for Qrow it felt like forever. 

As Qrow boarded he could feel Clover's gaze on him and he knew that Clover most likely had a worried look on his face. Qrow didn't want to feel it so he tried his best to not look over. 

A few minutes into the ride back and Qrow was starting to feel the emotions left over from the dream come back to him now that he had nothing to distract himself with. He could feel the feather touch of Clover's hand on his hips and he shut his eyes, willing the feelings away. It had felt so real and he didn't know how to feel about it. 

"Qrow, are you okay?" Qrow opened his eyes and finally looked over at Clover despite his best efforts. "You've been silent."

“What’s it to you? Why do you care so much why I’m silent?” Qrow asked, not looking up as he looked at the floor. He heard a sigh from Clover, still refusing to look up. 

“You’ve been off all day, you look like hell,” before Clover added. “No offense.” 

Qrow didn’t answer and instead let Clover observe him like he knew Clover was observing him.

“I’m worried about you, Qrow,” Clover walked closer, getting comfortable next to Qrow as they both leaned on the wall. “You always greet me in the morning, even if it’s just one of your huffs. I want to know what happened last night for you to be so on edge.” 

“Nothing happened,” Qrow looked up at Clover to prove his point,but all it accomplished was Clover looking even more worried. “Nothing that I can’t handle.” 

“Well my room is always open if you want to talk about anything,” Clover suggested, smiling fondly at him and it reminded Qrow of the same smile that dream Clover had given him in the dream. He shook the warm feeling in his chest that he knew was hope, looking away when Clover began to walk away. 

When they landed back in Atlas, the group split up, each going their own separate way. Qrow could see that Clover was making his way to his room and a part of him wanted to follow him, wanted to open up and tell Clover his dream and why he was so distant that day. But another part of him told him that there was no point in telling the other and if he even spoke about it to Clover the other would see him differently, be disgusted. Because there was no way that Clover would ever ask the other to some stupid ball, the very idea was bound to make Clover uncomfortable. 

He lingered outside his bedroom, weighing the pros and cons of going to Clover’s room or not.he knew that at any moment one of the kids or the ace ops, or hell even Ironwood or Winter, could walk down that corridor and see him standing stock still outside his bedroom. He was not looking forward to the type of questions that would come from such encounters. He needed to make a decision fast, before someone saw him. 

He knocked lightly on Clovers bedroom door, lowering his clenched fist as he waited for the other to open the door. He heard some shuffling from inside before the door was carefully pulled open. He was greeted by a sight that made his heart beat just a little faster. There stood Clover, devoid of any formal attire, wearing a grey v-neck t-shirt and grey sweatpants. As Qrow looked further down he noticed that Clover wasn’t even wearing socks. His eyes were directed back up as Clover’s feet moved, his right crossing in front of his left. Clover was leaning on the doorframe, arms crossed and a teasing smile on his face. Of course he had known Qrow would take up the offer from the airship. 

“I’m guessing you’re here because you’re ready to talk and not just to check me out,” Clover chuckled and Qrow could see the teasing glimmer in his eyes, but he could also see the worry just a little further underneath it. 

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Qrow chuckled back, falling into their usual teasing quips.

“Oh, so you’re only here to talk?” Clover asked, raising an eyebrow. “What a shame. And here I thought the checking out was mutual.” 

Qrow was at a loss for words before Clover changed the subject, pushing off the doorframe and sweeping his hand out to show that Qrow was welcome to come into his room. Qrow did just that, looking around at the fairly clean room that welcomed him. There were a few things here and there, but it was mostly clean and Qrow chuckled softly before turning back to face Clover. 

“Want me to make coffee for us while you talk?” Qrow nodded and followed the other to the small kitchenette that was joined to his bedroom, watching the other work the coffee machine as he ordered his thoughts to make more sense. 

“I had a dream,” Qrow started and Clover turned to face him abruptly. 

“Was it a nightmare?” The glare that Qrow sent him made him shut his mouth, doing the motion of shutting his mouth, a cheeky look in his eyes. Qrow shook his head with a sigh.

“No, it was not a nightmare,” Clover went back to making their coffee and Qrow was happy that Clover’s back was turned, making it easier for him to feel like he could voice his concerns and problems. Clover’s eyes had always been super distracting with how green and shiny they were. "It was a….a good dream."

"Then why were you on edge?" Clover asked, not turning his back as he continued. Qrow sighed. 

"It was  _ because  _ it was a good dream that I was on edge," Clover hummed in question and Qrow chuckled softly. “It’s rare that I have dreams that aren’t nightmares or memories.”

Clover noded and finally turned around, coffee cups in both hands. 

“Let’s continue this on my couch?” Clover suggested and Qrow nodded, moving towards the main room, sitting on the couch and watching Clover walk closer. He watched Clover place the cups down before joining him on the couch. “So why did this dream affect you so much?” 

There was a moment of silence and Qrow expected Clover to start talking again, but the other just let the silence drag on as if he was waiting for Qrow to start talking. It made Qrow relax slightly to know that Clover was giving him time to think things through, to get comfortable. 

“I hate that it wasn’t reality,” Qrow confessed, picking up his cup of coffee and taking a tentative sip as he waited for Clover’s reaction. 

“Why can’t it be reality?” Clover asked and Qrow sighed, looking into the brown liquid in his cup as he tried to keep his thoughts from going everywhere. “What’s stopping it from being reality?” 

“What do you mean?” Qrow lowered the cup and looked over at Clover. 

“You know what I mean.”

Of course Qrow knew what he meant, but there was no way that he could voice it out loud. He couldn’t believe that Clover was being so patient, but also part of him could  _ definitely  _ believe the other was being so patient. That was just who Clover was. 

“Reality is stopping it from being reality,” Qrow chuckled out, taking another sip to try and distract himself from the look Clover was sending him. Qrow placed his cup down before leaning forward, placing his elbows on his thighs as he supported his face on the palm of his hands. “You know what, I’m just going to say it and hope to the brothers that you won’t see me differently.”

Qrow heard Clover hum and took it as an invitation to continue. 

“I had a dream we were at a ball,” He sighed before he continued. “As dates.” 

The silence that followed his confession made Qrow worried and a slight bit scared. What was Clover thinking? What was he feeling? Was he disgusted? 

“Why would I see you differently?” Clover asked. Qrow turned to look at Clover in time to see the red hue on the other's face. “I’ve had a few of those dreams myself.” 

Qrow watched as Clover nervously scratched his cheek, a nervous gesture that Qrow had seen on a rare select few instances. 

Clover took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a second before opening them.

“Look,” Clover started. “Nothing has to change if you don’t want them to”

Qrow thought over what had just been said to him and a part of him wanted to take him up on that offer, to forget the dream or the conversation had ever happened. But another part of him wanted to say no, wanted something to change. He didn’t know which one would hurt him less.

He decided to just go with his guts, consequences be damned. 

“What if I want things to change?” Qrow watched as Clover’s face changed to one of both shock and slight hope. 

“Are you sure about this, Qrow?” 

“As sure as I’ll ever be.” 


End file.
